Synopsis

Practice makes perfect, but can a fake romance lead to real love?

Liza Sutherland isn’t looking for love. Not from a charity-auction date she didn’t even bid on and especially not with Nationals first baseman Cole Collins, the guy she obsessed over as an awkward teenager. She won’t get involved with a notorious player, no matter how attractive Cole is.

Cole Collins is up for contract renegotiation, but after too many late-night parties, he’ll need some positive publicity before he can make the roster. His agent, Frank, pitches Liza as the perfect prop…only Cole didn’t account for Liza no longer being just a teenager with a crush. She’s gorgeous and smart and he’s instantly hooked.

When Frank makes Liza a deal she can’t refuse—a bet she will fall in love with Cole or a cool half mil goes to charity—the game is on. But neither bet on the real feelings that surface. Could a fake fling turn into an official forever?

Review

If you are a baseball fan and love a sweet romance, then this is definitely one you will enjoy. It’s so refreshing to come across a nice novel with a plot that wasn’t too predictable or cliché. It’s definitely a novel that you will completely immerse yourself into the characters because you can’t help but fall in love with them. Not only one of my favorite aspects of the book was this a clean romance, but it was awesome being able to just appreciate a character, emotional driven romance that gives you that feeling like they are the only two people in the room. Once you start reading, you will find that it will go by rather quickly and not want to put it down.

So, this book literally hits home for me because I coincidentally live in the area of the story so it made it made me feel a little more connected to the book. So, let me give you a bit of background about the characters. The book centers on Liza and Cole. They aren’t total strangers to each other and have a little history between them. When they were teenagers, Liza’s father had a baseball camp where Cole spent his summers. Over time Liza, developed a little bit of a crush on him but then he was too stuck on himself to notice. Her parents took interest in him while he was a teenager because he didn’t have those parental role model figures in life until one day that all changed. Not going to ruin it for you but when you find out why, oh goodness, grab the Kleenex box.

Well, with her best interest at heart, Liza’s mother bids on an auction to get a date with Cole. After losing her fiancé, the last thing she wants is to date. The fact that it’s Cole, doesn’t make it any better because not only does he have a reputation as a well-known player on the field but off the field as well. Guess who won? You got it? I mean really, how much more awkward can it get? You are not only stuck going on a date with a person that you had a major crush on but he grew up to be ever more delicious. The problem is, Cole has a contract that needs to be resigned and he could use some positive headlines for a change instead of his late night parties and womanizing. So, his agent decides a great plan to take this opportunity use this to start “dating” a good woman and use it for positive publicity. There’s one problem, Cole hasn’t seen Liza since she was a teenager so what a surprise for him after agreeing to do this. Doing his homework, he knows Liza needs money for her foundation, the same one that helped Cole, proposes a challenge to get five hundred thousand dollars if she doesn’t fall in love with him. So do you think this fake romance can become a happily ever after? You’ll have to read to find out!

Let me tell you, this book was so much fun to read. Overall, I thought the book was sweet, well written for such a quick read and definitely one that if you are baseball fan will be excited for all the scenes that make you feel part of the action. Loved the characters and found their storylines such an easy transition to give you everything you needed to know about them that made a great cohesive plot. If you haven’t read this one already, add it to your pile because this is one that will make your heart smile.